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In this morning's Playbook, Mike Allen grabs a quote from CongressDaily on the sort of role Senator Daschle would like in an Obama administration:
“Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota has no interest in the vice presidency or in serving as chief of staff if Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois is elected president, but sources say he is interested in universal health care and might relish serving as HHS secretary. Daschle, an early and ardent backer of Obama's bid for the White House and a key player in President Clinton's push for universal health care in 1993, told CongressDaily he hopes he can be helpful, perhaps in a prospective Obama administration, on healthcare reform.’”Having recently read Daschle's book on health care, not to mention sat down with the guy for a few hours to talk it through (interview here), I'll throw in behind that. What the next president needs in is Health and Human Services Secretary isn't merely someone who knows health care, but someone who knows how to work with Congress. Clinton's nominee for that position, Donna Shalala, was a longtime academic whose governmental experience amounted to three years as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at HUD. In the 70s. It wasn't enough. Not only was Shalala unable to achieve congressional buy-in, but she didn't convince the president that congressional involvement was of central importance.Daschle, by contrast, is a former Senate majority leader who not only understands the chamber he once led, but knows most everyone in it. Senators I've interviewed hold him in tremendously high esteem. He'd be able to walk those halls comfortably. Just as important, he's got a depth of congressional experience that Barack Obama simply lacks, and would thus have the credibility to shape Obama's strategy in a way that makes sense for pushing his legislation through the Senate. It would, in sum, be a smart pick that suggests Obama understands he'll need to marry his policy goals to the congressional politics on this issue. Watching where Daschle ends up -- if anywhere -- in an Obama administration is probably one of the best indicators of whether Obama is serious and smart about pursuing health reform.
